In the last episode we looked at the first three of the human relations principles we can apply when interacting with our buyers. Sales is all about trust. Trust is built up through what we say and what we do. It is also a function of our behavior with buyers. We face a tricky equation of getting on with all types of buyers with different outlooks, communication and personality styles. There are some universal aspects of our control over what we say and how we say it, which will serve us well in order to serve the largest scope of buyers possible. We know all of these things. The only problem is we don’t do them!
Become genuinely interested in other people.We are all severely time poor and focused on what we need to do. We have little mental bandwidth for what other people are thinking or need. It is very hard to build up trusting buyer relationships with a time poor, highly transactional approach.
If we don’t build trust, then what sort of relationship will we have with the buyer? The way to build trust is to get to know people and get them to get to know us. The more things we share in common, the easier it is to get on with each other. This is not manipulation, trying to get to know others, so that we can use them. People are not stupid and they pick up on this immediately.
What we are talking about here is genuine interest. Each one of us has areas or experience or interests which others would genuinely find interesting. It is often amazing to learn things about buyers you have worked with over many years, that you had no idea about. It makes for a richer happier interaction. With new clients, it breaks the ice and makes the relationship building go so much smoother.
You might be thinking: “but even if I start to be genuinely interested in them, it’s difficult to start a conversation about things other than the products”.
The first step is to use Principle number 5. Smile.
As we smile, we start to develop a relationship with the buyer. It sounds so simple – smile, how hard can that be? Well take a good look at people’s faces at work and in business. Most are looking stressed, concerned, pressured and very, very serious. Not too many smiles being shared around. That is the way of the modern world. We are supposed to be getting more time thanks to technology, but in fact, it is making us busier and more stressed as a result.
So keep this in mind, that every time you face a buyer to speak, crack a big smile first before you say anything. They will feel better about you and much more likely to cooperate with you and be pleased to see you every time you turn up. They will feel it is easier to speak with you and you can bridge into conversations beyond just the lineup in the products catalogue.
Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
It is unthinkable that we would forget the name of our buyer. However, we might be dealing with a number of people on the buying side and we may not meet all of them each time. If we meet them again or pass them on the way to the meeting room or meet them at a networking event, we had better be able to remember their name.
They may not be able to remember ours by the way, so we should eliminate any potential embarrassment. Here is an iron rule. Whenever we meet anyone, always start with offering our name first. For example, “Hi, Greg Story, good to meet you again”.
If we start packing the conversation with the buyer’s name every few minutes it sounds weird and will have the opposite effect than that which we desire. It has to have a natural cadence. We need to get the personalisation balance right and common sense should be determining when to use their name.
How well can we apply these three simple, yet effective, principles with buyers? None of these ideas are new, complex or difficult. The secret is having the discipline to change how we currently communicate with our buyers. We get into ruts, get stuck in fixed patterns of interaction. Try to break out of those confines and make the buyer, the human being, the center of the conversation. Our competitors won’t be doing this, so it is an excellent and simple way to differentiate ourselves from the competition.
